Ravagh Persian Grill 4/14/2017 4 Forks

Ravagh Persian  125 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003

When my friend Mabel first mentioned getting Persian food, I poo poo'd her.  I was feeling Thai food but couldn't come up with any good places to go in the neighborhood so I decided to give this a go. And I was really glad I did because it was just what we needed.  It's an assuming quiet neighborhood restaurant with good food, big portions and really nice waitstaff.  Who knew Persian food was so tasty? 

The menu is very similar to Greek or Mediterranean food with lots of grilled meats, vegetables and seafood plates as well as spreads and stews.  We started with a chopped salad ($8) and I got the lamb shish kebob ($17) and Mabel got the shrimp kebob ($21).  The chopped salad was a huge portion and delicious - it was chopped lettuce, steak tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese and tossed with a lot of tasty vinaigrette.  It was pretty much a classic Greek salad - I could have eaten the entire thing and it's definitely big enough to me an entree.  But luckily I left room for my main entree - again it was a huge portion.  It was a heaping plate of cut up tender pieces of lamb served with a basmati type white and yellow rice and a grilled tomato and onion.  The meat had been marinated and was cooked to just the right temperature.   The combination of tomato, lamb and rice with some of the green sauce they give you is a great mouthful.  Normally I have a huge appetite and clean my plate no matter what but even here I couldn't finish all my food.  These days in New York, it's hard to find a place where they give you enough food that you can't finish it.   I didn't try the shrimp but it looked like it was cooked well and tasty too.

The clientele is a lot of locals and the atmosphere is pretty low key, which was perfect for two friends to catch up and have a conversation without having to yell at each other from across the table.  The one con would be that I had ordered an eggplant appetizer to start but they totally forgot about it but it was really ok in the end because of the portion size of everything else and it wasn't on the check, so we were probably better off that we didn't get it.  Persian food definitely doesn't get the hype of Greek food but if you're looking for a no frills, casual place with good grill plates in the East Village, Ravagh should be on your radar screen.  Total bill:  $31/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Little Tong Visited 4/8/2017 3 Forks

Little Tong  177 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003

Little Tong has been getting a lot of buzz since it's from a WD-50 alum and there's been a huge noodle trend in the city for the last few years.  The food here is from the Yunnan province which is the southwest region of China bordering Tibet, Burma, Laos and Vietnam.  Yunnan food hasn't really gotten quite the hype that Sichuan food has these days but I guess Little Tong is trying to change it. 

Aarti and I actually randomly stumbled upon this place as we were walking around the city on a gorgeous Saturday.  There was a bit of a line but since we weren't starving we were more than ok to put our name down and wait the 45 minutes they told us it would be.  They have a very very small "bar" in the back if you want to wait.  I use the term bar loosely because it's literally a communal counter top in the back and the wait staff pours either wine or beer for you.  I would recommend you go somewhere else because it's a bit claustrophobic back there.  But the waitstaff was super nice so it made sticking around not so bad.  The place is rather small and there is only 1 large table in the front that seats groups of 4, so I would definitely recommend that you come in smaller groups. 

The menu here is fairly basic:  a handful of appetizers and 6 different kinds of noodles to choose from.  We opted for the soy beans ($6), cucumbers ($4) and the ghost chicken ($7) to start and I got the little pot mixian ($16) and Aarti got the vegetarian version ($14).  For some reason when I read the word soy bean, I didn't compute that it was basically just edamame, so when basically a bowl of edamame came out I was stupidly surprised.  So you've been warned.  The edamame was fine, it was covered in a fermented black bean paste which gave it a bit of a different taste to the kind you would normally get at a sushi restaurant.  Next the cucumber dish was like a traditional chilled smashed chili cucumber dish with some heat to it and this one some had mint to it, which was a bit different. The ghost chicken was cold shredded chicken with pickled red onions and fresh herbs.  It was a nice meaty cold dish to start the meal. 

I had been torn on what kind of noodle to get but lots of people seemed to have gotten the little pot because it came in a copper pot filled with broth, so I went for it, but looking back I wonder if I should have gotten the dan dan noodles instead.  Mixian noodles are basically spaghetti shaped rice noodles - they're softer and more slippery than your traditional noodles.  The little pot was served with pork broth, minced pork belly, shittake mushrooms, garlic, chives, pickled mustard stems, pea shoots and a mustard vinaigrette.  So in theory, it sounds like a really hearty noodle soup dish.  Only it wasn't.  It felt really thin and lacking in substance and needed more flavor and heat to the dish.  It just felt like a very average noodle soup dish that wasn't super filling.  Aarti's vegetarian version was similarly lacking and while we had been enamored with the service earlier, we had to flag down 3 different waitresses to get a side of fermented chili just to give her dish some flavor.

Overall, the meal wasn't terrible, just underwhelming.  Maybe it was because I had just been to the Mala Project where the Sichuan heat and flavors hit you hard in the face but this meal felt a bit too delicate.  Despite the staff being a slow with the chili, the service in general was excellent - very nice and pleasant people who worked there.  With all the other great and cheaper noodle options in the city, I'm not sure I would run back to this place but if someone did want to try it out, perhaps I would try a the grandma's noodle or the dan dan noodle and give it another fair shake.  Total bill:  $34/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp  

Nha Trang Centre Visited 4/1/2017 2.5 Forks

Nha Trang Centre  148 Centre St., New York, NY 10013

As most of you know by now, I am a pho addict.  It is probably one of my top 5 favorite foods but sadly, I have yet to really find a go-to place in NYC.  How this city is so lacking in quality pho places is frankly still a mystery to me.  I had just completed my first pilates class at Wundabar (super fun class if anyone is looking for a new work out class) and since the studio was in spitting distance of Chinatown, I felt like I deserved a big bowl of pho as as reward.  Unfortunately, I was exhausted from class, so I wasn't really in the mood to run around town and I settled on this place right across from the Canal street subway stop.  I had seen it before several times, but never been so I figured it was worth a shot. 

In classic Chinatown fashion, there is no decor to speak of and they usher you into a seat and ask you for your order within 10 seconds of stepping into the place.  The menu had your typical line up of Vietnamese food but I was here for the pho and I got the #1 - it had a little bit of everything (tendon, tripe, brisket and rib eye)  in it plus an Vietnamese iced coffee.  I noticed that the place is run by Chinese people instead of Vietnamese people (I mean it is Chinatown) but I usually find that ethnic restaurants run by people not of that ethnicity just aren't nearly as good.  This place was no exception. I got my food in about 5 mins and upon first glance I could tell that it wasn't going to be my favorite pho.  It had huge chunks of red onion which I had never seen in pho.  I know that the broth usually requires onion in it, but I've never really seen a pho with giant stir fry sized sliced of onion in it.  The meat in it wasn't as rare or tender as I would have liked but the kicker was really that the broth just wasn't doing it for me.  It was greasy and missing some key pho flavorings like clove, star anise, and cinnamon.  The noodles were fine but that's not saying much when the star of the show was lacking. In good news, the iced coffee was lovely and came in a traditional press which I love. 

Luckily the price was right for such a mediocre bowl of pho.  I came here purely out of connivence and laziness so I guess this is what I get for not putting much effort into things.  If you're desperate for cheap pho, I can see this working in a pinch but I can't really endorse it knowing how much better pho there is out there in the world.  Total bill:  $13 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

KazuNori Visited 3/30/2017 4 Forks

KazuNori  15 W 28th St., New York, NY 10001

From the people who brought to NYC the wildly popular Sugarfish, comes KazuNori.  It's their all hand-roll sushi place and has been getting the same amount of crazy buzz as Sugarfish.  In a similar vein, I had heard the wait times could be long and painful, but since I was in the neighborhood on a random Thursday night around 6:30, I thought I would take my chances going solo. 

I would HIGHLY recommend going solo if you can.  The seating set-up is such that it's really a pain if you're a big party.  It's a self-serve/honor system - there is no host to seat you.  The restaurant is just one big communal sushi counter, so there are no tables to speak of.  You basically have to wait until someone of your party size to leave if you want to sit together.  Luckily there were enough odd number people sitting at the bar that there was one open seat all the way at the end of the bar.  One of the benefits of eating solo!

The menu set-up is similar to Sugarfish in that they really steer you towards a box combination but you can also order a la carte if you want.  They have a 3,4,5, or 6 piece hand roll set and then 1 sashimi appetizer.  I settled on the 5 piece combo ($23) and the sashimi appetizer ($9.25). The 5 piece combo comes with toro, yellowtail, bay scallop, crab and lobster rolls - the only one missing from the 6 piece set was the salmon but since I was getting the sashimi, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. 

The food comes out fast and furious but also one at a time.  They recommend that you eat the hand rolls right away to take in the crispness of the seaweed wrapper.  They were all fantastic - warm, crunchy and with the right amount of rice to fish ratio.  That's usually my beef with hand rolls, they are usually too rice focused and it can be super filling for all the wrong reasons.  But it worked well here.  My favorite by far was the bay scallop but they were honestly all very satisfying.  Despite that, it can get a bit boring to just eat one hand roll after another.  Apparently if you order take out, you can get them cut up into regular rolls (probably since it's hard to eat fresh hand rolls as taking out).  The salmon sashimi was also fresh and served with a touch of ponzu and sesame seeds.  While it was tasty, I wasn't really wow'd by it.  But it was a good way to break up the monotony of just eating one hand roll after another (not that there is anything really wrong with that).

As I said, they serve the food quickly and with the limited menu, it's hard to imagine spending more than an hour here.  But by the time I left, the line was out the door - there were several large groups waiting for tables and I can see the seating situation getting a bit unwieldy without someone manning the line.  Despite all the sushi places in NYC, you don't really see a place full dedicated to hand rolls, so if you're really into them, this is your place for sure.  But if you like a bit of variety, you might be a bit bored but it's still worth a try.  Total bill:  $35 with tax (tip is included in all prices)

Photo Credit:  Yelp  

Pig Bleecker Visited 3/27/2017 4 Forks

Pig Bleecker  155 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012

After the big success of the Pig Beach stand in Gowanus, the owners opened a permanent restaurant in the city.  The menu isn't quite as BBQ focused (which was a bit of a bummer) as I thought it would be but it is still very meat focused.  The decor and vibe is much more formal than the outdoor picnic setting in the Gowanus but it's not white table cloth fancy either.

Cicily and I started the meal with the meatballs ($11), shared the Brussels Sprouts ($9) and I decided on the 155 Steak ($28) while Cicily got the brisket ravioli ($24).   The restaurant is famous for their burger but since it was a double patty and I had just had a double patty burger at Salvation Burger, I just couldn't bring myself to consume another one so quickly.  The meatballs were moist and delicious - they were 3 fairly large sized meatballs served with smoked mozzarella.   We both commented how we could have easily eaten the entire appetizer on our own.  The steak was nicely cooked and already sliced for you.  It was similar to a filet and served with a side of mashed potatoes and beef cheek marmalade - there's nothing more comforting to me that a nice juicy steak with mashed potatoes and this did not disappoint.  Cicily mentioned that her ravioli was pretty good - as with any ravioli dish, there weren't a lot of them but since they were served with black truffle butter it probably didn't make sense to have too much of them.  The Brussels Sprouts were good - it was nice to have a side of greens with all the meat we were having.

Despite what people are saying on Yelp, our service was accommodating and attentive without being overbearing.   Overall the experience was pretty pleasant, although I probably would have liked it a bit more if it was more on the casual BBQ side because there aren't as many of those in the city but there are plenty of meat/steak places.  It's definitely a very solid meal and they had lovely cocktail menu, just don't go expecting it to be similar to the one in Gowanus.  Total bill:  $78/pp with tax, tip and cocktails

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Salvation Burger Visited 3/25/2017 2.5 Forks

Salvation Burger  230 E 51st St., New York, NY 10022

One of the most revered burgers in the city is the one created by April Bloomfield at Spotted Pig, so when she opened another burger joint uptown, there was a lot of excitement.  But the Midtown location deterred me from really checking it out but when Aarti and Will had friends in town who wanted to go, I was all-in.

First off, it's definitely NOT Spotted Pig, so don't come here expecting a cozy but hip West Village joint.  This has more of a chain restaurant feel - it's big and spacious and doesn't have a ton of personality. The booths on the left hand side have these weird mini flat screen TVs with a yule log like you would see during the Christmas holiday - only it's freakin March, so I have no idea why they had it on.  The menu is what you would expect - burgers, hot dogs and a few salads if you really want to be somewhat healthy.  In terms of burgers, they have beef burgers, fish burgers, and a veggie burger, so a little bit of everything.  I had just had a day of drinking and eating fries at another bar, so I decided to stick with a classic burger instead of a salvation burger that had bacon on it.  Most of us got the classic burger ($17) and Will got Salvation burger ($25) - someone had to do it!  We started with popcorn ($3) and cheese crisps ($4) and Aarti got a chocolate milkshake ($7) while one of their friends got a toasted marshmallow milkshake ($7).

The popcorn snack was kind of a waste - it was a small cup of popcorn with some paprika and spice sprinkled on top and didn't really do it for me.  Similar with the cheese crisp, they actually turned out to be crackers with a cheese flavor to it - again, a waste of space in your stomach to prepare for the burger.  After ordering, we realized that the waitress never asked us how we wanted our burgers cooked but apparently we were getting TWO thin patties - so it didn't really matter too much.  I didn't realize it was going to be two patties but there wasn't any other choice in the matter - so regardless of what meat burger you order, be prepared to clog your arteries.  As I mentioned, the classic burger is two thin patties with cheese, special sauce and pickles.  If this sounds like a Big Mac from McDonald's, you wouldn't be wrong.  It was essentially a fancy version of a Big Mac - right down to the sesame seed bun.  Now don't get me wrong - there is a time and a place for a Big Mac and the burger really wasn't that bad at all.  But when you put into context that it's just an adult version of a Big Mac it makes you wonder why you are paying $17 for it.  Plus did I note that it doesn't come with fries?!  You have to order them separately.  Unfortunately, while we were chomping on our classic burger, Will's Salvation burger came out and it was pretty much super rare - to the point it was almost black and blue.  He asked us if he should take it back and all of us agreed that he should - normally I am a fan of rare meat but this was really pushing the limit.  The waitress was very apologetic about it but they didn't comp us or bring anything out while he waited for his food.  Once it came back, it was still pretty rare but better.  I had a bite of his burger and it was definitely a better burger than the classic - maybe it was the smoked bacon and beer cheese that went with it but it felt like a much heftier burger than the classic.  As for the milkshakes,  none of us were huge fans of the chocolate milkshake because it wasn't made with chocolate ice cream - instead it tasted like it was made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup poured on top of it.  But apparently the marshmallow one was a bit better.

All in all, I wasn't really super impressed with my meal here.  While the quality of the ingredients were high (the meat was provided by White Gold Butchers), the notion that I'm paying all this money for a burger with no fries that was kind of a rip off idea of a Big Mac didn't really do it for me.  Plus the Midtown location was a turn off for me.  Even with the crazy wait, I'll still stick with the burger at the Spotted Pig instead.  Total bill:  $41/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

El Amacen Visited 3/23/2017 4 Forks

El Amacen  557 Driggs Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

While I love my hood, I tend to stay away from anything remotely close to the Bedford L stop due to the insane amount of foot traffic.  But when the Infatuation dropped 8.2 rating on this place I had to check it out.  It's one of those places that I've walked past a million times but never think to go into.  I figured since it's kind of an old stand by, that it should be easy enough to walk-in without a reservation. Apparently I was wrong.  I walked in at 7pm on a Friday and the only seats left were at the bar, otherwise it was an hour plus wait.  Luckily I love eating at the bar and Paige didn't mind either, so we were set. 

Despite being a huge meat lover, I am embarrassed to say that I haven't been to Argentina yet but I know that if you don't eat meat, you're SOL there.  If the food in Argentina is anything like what was on the menu here, I would definitely be a fan.  Everything sounded awesome and we had a really hard time narrowing it down without being a total glutton.  We netted out with the hamachi ceviche ($15), ham and cheese empandas ($10) and to be adventurous we got the parrillada ($56) which is basically translation for everything BBQ.  And of course we got a delicious bottle of Malbec wine.  In a similar vein to dining in Argentina, the prices here were shockingly affordable for the location and type of food.  The hamachi ceviche was lovely and a refreshing way to start the meal - thinly sliced pieces of yellowtail with yuzu, shishito peppers, sea salt and truffle oil.  Also fantastic was the empanadas - they were super cheesey and gooey with a perfect crunch on the outside.  They were dangerously addictive and I could have easily had 5 more of them.  But if I did, then I wouldn't have been able to leave room of the insane amount of meat that was to come.  Even though we had asked the waitress what was in the parrillada, I'll be honest and say that I didn't hear a single thing she said.  And after eating it, I kinda of wished I paid more attention.  Not that it wasn't a great plate of meat but there were definitely types of meat in there that I could have done without - I'm looking at you blood sausage and sweet breads.  But it was our fault for not paying more attention to the waitress. However, if you like different types of meat, this is your dish.  It came with short rib, ribeye, chorizo, blood sausage, sweet breads, roasted peppers and truffle fries - and it's definitely a dish for 2 people. My favorite meat by far was the ribeye - it was cooked just right and was pretty moist and tender. The short rib was my 2nd favorite but it had a bit more bone than I would normally have liked.  The chorizo was your typical chorizo and a much better alternative to the blood sausage.  I've just never been a blood sausage person but I gave it a shot - the texture was just too mushy and it had that mineral-y taste that I just don't like about anything blood related.  Same thing with the sweet breads - I gave it a try but it's just not really my thing unless it's really deep fried, which they weren't.  The fries were a nice touch although they were a bit dry.  It was way too much food and we couldn't really finish the whole thing. Having tried all the different meats, if I were to come back next time, I would just order either the skirt steak or ribeye on its own, which is what most people did at the restaurant.  

We ended the night with churros ($8) which were nice and warm and served with a yummy dulce de leche and chocolate dipping sauce.  The churros themselves could have used a bit more sugar and cinnamon to it but it's probably best that they didn't for my health. 

I left this place feeling like it was a really solid neighborhood meat joint and was sad that I hadn't been to it sooner.  While I wouldn't say that it's the best place to get a steak in NYC, it's a very solid and extremely reasonably priced place to chow down on some red meat.  I can only envision that it's similar to what a dinner would be like in Argentina - a dark, cozy restaurant that serves delicious red wine and quality red meat for a fraction of what you would pay at a traditional steak place in the city center.  Total bill:  $116/pp with tax, tip and lots of red wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp